Valencia is the third largest city in Spain. Who knew? However, it has a very laid back feel as opposed to very busy Barcelona. We spent the day on rented Bikes and cycled from the port into the city. I was really blown away by the “City of Arts and Sciences” complex. I love modern architecture when it has something to say and when it’s open and welcoming. I always marvel when a city actually approves and pays for daring unique architecture and not just metal boxes. I could have spent the day here just exploring every part of the complex. Luckily we had time to also ride through the city gardens and into the old city .

The gardens were beautiful and literally hundreds of miles of bike trails made it really easy and pleasant.

I’m still trying to decide if the children’s playground shaped like Gulliver from Gulliver’s travels was whimsical or a bit bizarre….

The bad thing about being on a cruise ship is that you never get the time to really explore a destination. However, it’s a great way to tip your toe in and decide where you’ll return to. Definitely Valencia is on that list